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Vikings Players Bail On Head Coach Mike Zimmer’s Game Plan

Mike Zimmer is one of the most highly respected coaches in the NFL, or so we thought.

In Sunday’s 38-25 loss to the Green Bay Packers, the Minnesota defensive backs went rogue on Zimmer’s defensive game plan.

Apparently, cornerback Xavier Rhodes was supposed to shadow Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson, but instead decided to stay on his own side of the field.

“To be honest, I really don’t want to answer that,” Rhodes said, via The Star Tribune, then explained what happened.

“A matter of fact, forget it. We felt as a team, as players, we came together and we felt like we’d never done that when we played against the Packers,” Rhodes said. “Us as DBs felt like we could handle him. That’s how we felt as DBs that we could stay on our side and cover him. In the beginning, we’d always played against them and played our sides, so that’s what we as DBs went with.”

With Rhodes shadowing Nelson in the second half, the Packers’ receiver caught two passes for nine yards.

“That’s what he was supposed to do the whole game,” Zimmer said. “Someone decided they wouldn’t do that.”

Zimmer said corner Terence Newman mentioned something to him on the sideline about the change in plans.

“In the first half when Terence Newman came over and said something to me like ‘I can cover this guy, let me have him,'” Zimmer said. “I said, ‘do what you’re supposed to do.'”

Newman declined to comment on the issue saying simply, “nothing. I have no idea.”

About Charlie Bernstein

Charlie Bernstein is the managing football editor for Football Insiders and has covered the NFL for over a decade. Charlie has hosted drive time radio for NBC and ESPN affiliates in different markets around the country, along with being an NFL correspondent for ESPN Radio and WFAN. He has been featured on the NFL Network as well as Sirius/XM NFL Radio and has been published on Fox Sports, Sports Illustrated, ESPN as well as numerous other publications.